Telugu cinema continues to deliver non-stop entertainment, with three big releases in a short span: Ram Charan‘s Game Changer, Nandamuri Balakrishna‘s Daaku Maharaj, and Venkatesh’s Sankranthiki Vasthunam. Among these, it is the veteran Venkatesh who is having the last laugh, as his film has emerged as the biggest hit of the month so far.
Released to capitalize on the Pongal festival, Sankranthiki Vasthunam crossed the ₹100 crore mark on its sixth day. By its seventh day, it was on par with the collections of Ram Charan’s Game Changer, which had been in theaters for 11 days. On the eighth day, Venkatesh’s film overtook Game Changer, cementing its position at the box office.
Sankranthiki Vasthunam, which hit screens on a Tuesday, opened with ₹23 crore on its first day. It maintained a steady performance over the following days, earning ₹20 crore (Day 2), ₹17.5 crore (Day 3), ₹16 crore (Day 4), ₹17.25 crore (Day 5), ₹19.35 crore (Day 6), ₹8.4 crore (Day 7), and ₹6.5 crore (Day 8). This brings the film’s total to ₹128.50 crore over eight days, as per Sacnilk. In comparison, the 12-day total for Game Changer stands at ₹127.15 crore.
The film is also enjoying an impressive run in North America, the biggest market for Telugu cinema outside India. It has grossed over $2.3 million (approximately ₹20 crore) and has already entered the profit zone for its distributors. Notably, Sankranthiki Vasthunam was acquired at a relatively low cost, making it a rare venture where everyone involved has earned significant profits.
The film marks a career milestone for Venkatesh, delivering his biggest box office opening in a career spanning nearly four decades. The cast includes Meenakshi Chaudhary, Aishwarya Rajesh, and Upendra Limaye.
